Wavevector spectral signature of decay instability in space plasmas

Abstract. Identification of a large-amplitude Alfven wave decaying into a pair of ion-acoustic and daughter Alfven waves is one of the major goals in the observational studies of space plasma nonlinearity. In this study, the decay instability is analytically evaluated in the 2-D wavenumber domain spanning the parallel and perpendicular directions to the mean magnetic field. The growth-rate determination of the density perturbations is based on the Hall-MHD wave-wave coupling theory for circularly-polarized Alfven waves. The diagrams of the growth rates versus the wavenumber and propagation angle derived in analytical studies are replaced by 2-D wavenumber distributions and compared with the corresponding wavevector spectrum of density and magnetic field fluctuations. The actual study reveals a perpendicular-shape spectral pattern consistent with the result of a previous study based on 3-D hybrid numerical simulations. The wavevector signature of the decay instability observed in the two-dimensional wavenumber domain ceases at values of plasma beta larger than beta = 0.1. Growth-rate maps serve as a useful tool for predictions of the wavevector spectrum of density or magnetic field fluctuations in various scenarios for the wave-wave coupling processes developing at different stages in space plasma turbulence.